Call Of The Track
by Rogue Hanyou12
Summary: InuYasha is a major jockey. ‘Horse racing is a mans world, women shouldn’t be racing horses. That’s what InuYasha Takahashi thought. But Kagome Higurashi thought differently. ‘I can do anything a man can.’ that’s what she thought. But then an accident hap
1. The Race

A/N: Wow, I haven't written one of these in almost a year! So, gomen if I am a little rusty. Please read onward. Thanks! Oh, and InuYasha is gonna be human, but he's still gonna have his killer hair and eyes and maybe even his ears two, you'll have to read to find out.

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InuYasha is a major jockey. 'Horse racing is a mans world, women shouldn't be racing horses. That's what InuYasha Takahashi thought. But Kagome Higurashi thought differently. 'I can do anything a man can.' that's what she thought. But then an accident happens and Kagome might never be able to ride, or race a horse for that matter, again. These two jockeys are both exalent in the saddle but can they handle the way they feel when they are out of it? As these two jockey's race for the finish line, they are also racing from their own feelings.

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_**-Chapter One: The Race-**_

"Hold still, will you, Kat?" A young woman asked a large Thoroughbred mare as she ran a curry comb over her grey coat.

The horse tossed her head and pawed at the ground nervously with her front fore leg, nearly stomping on the young womans foot.

"Watch it!" She cried and jumped back just in time.

A chuckle came from out side the stall. "Is Kat making more trouble for you, Kagome?" A deep males voice asked.

Kagome sighed. "You don't know the half of it." She said and sighed again.

Her full name was Kagome Higurashi and she was a jockey. A woman working in a male dominated world.

Kagome had come into the world of horse racing when she was sixteen, starting out grooming the horses, mucking out the stalls, cleaning tack, feeding the horses, ext. That was four years ago, now Kagome was a young woman of twenty-one and had come a long way from mucking out stalls. Now, she was an accomplished jockey with an exalent career.

She had bright brown eyes, almost hazel in color, clear pale skin, long, thick black hair that was pulled into a low pony-tail, and her voice was the most gentlest and kindest you'd ever hear.

The man chuckled again. "She's always nervous before a race." He commented.

The man was Miroku Kazanna, a Thoroughbred race horse owner. He had short black hair with a small rats tail in the back, his eyes were a dark brown, so dark that at times they seemed black, and he had a friendly smile.

Unfortunately, he was also a lech and groped women constantly.

Kagome nodded her head and wiped the sweat from her brow. "How long before they call for the starting gate?" She asked and stepped out of the stall, hoping that the nervous horse would settle down at least a little.

Miroku looked at the watch on his left wrist. "In about an hour." He replied and began to follow Kagome out of the racing barn.

Kagome blinked her eyes as they stepped out of the cool barn and into the bright April sunshine. "I should go change into my silks then." She said as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the sun.

Miroku smiled at her and placed his hand on the small of Kagome's back. "I will gladly assist you, Kagome-sama." He said and slid his hand lower than it should have gone.

Kagome's left eyebrow twitched and she whirled to her side and slapped him hard across the face, leaving a red hand print on his face. "Don't go acting like an hentai right before a race!" She yelled.

Miroku smiled and held his hands up in defense. _Kagome can be the nicest person in the world. But right before a race she's nervous and temper mentle. Just like a flighty colt. _He thought to himself with a chuckle.

Kagome scowled at him and whirled around on her heel and stomped away towards the womens changing rooms.

Kagome opened the doors to the womens changing rooms to find it completely empty. "Guess that means I'm the only woman in this race." She said, her voice echoing slightly in the empty room.

She shrugged her shoulders and walked over to the lockers and opened the one that had been assigned to her and pulled out her racing silks.

She pulled of her blue jeans and slipped the white silk pants on. Then she pulled off her white stained tee-shirt and put on the purple and black checkered racing shirt. She re-tied her hair into a low pony-tail and picked up her racing helmet and then made her way to the jockey's lounge.

Unlike the womens changing rooms, the jockeys lounge was crowded and loud. there were men and women all over the place! Some were playing pool or playing card game, some were sitting in couches and chairs gathered around a large screen TV and watching races from earlier that day, and still others were gathered in small groups talking horses and racing.

"Hey, Kagome!" A voice called out to her from across the room.

Kagome looked and saw her close friend, Sango Hirakoutsu.

Sango was a pretty twenty-three year old with dark brown hair, almost black, brown eyes, and an attitude that told people right off that she wasn't one who tolerated being pushed around.

Kagome waved at her and then began to walk over, weaving around a group of people discussing a race that had gone on earlier that day. "Hey, Sango." She said as she plopped down next to her on the couch she was sitting on.

Sango smiled at her friend. "Hi, Kagome. You gotta race this afternoon?" She asked and took a sip out of the Coke that was in her hand.

Kagome nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm riding Kat Wink in the fifth race. What about you? You got any rides?" she questioned.

Sango shook her head and sat her drink down. "No. I had two this morning, but none this afternoon." she said. "So, I'm guessing you still ride for Miroku if your riding Kat Wink." She commented.

Kagome chuckled. "Yeah, I still ride for him sometimes. You know, you should go talk to him. He could offer you some pretty good horses to ride." She suggested.

Sango frowned and crossed her arms. "Like I would really want to ride for the lecherous horse trainer." She said with a stubborn set to her jaw, but a glint in her eyes talk Kagome that she probably would talk to Miroku.

She laughed quietly to herself. She knew that her friend had feelings for the horse owner, she was just to stubborn to admit to herself.

"So, you're in the fifth race as well, huh?" A deep masculine voice asked from behind them.

Kagome's spine stiffened when she heard the voice. _Oh great. This is just what I need. _She thought and turned her head towards the voice.

The man that had spoken was extremely handsome. He had thick white hair that went to his mid back he had a nice muscular build, but not overly, and he had the most amazing amber eyes that had just about every girl swooning over him. But what caught people's attention the most, aside from his amber colored eyes, were his triangular dog ears atop his head. It might have been a birth defect, but the fuzzy ears just added to his hotness as far as others were concerned.

_If only he had the right attitude to go with his looks, then he would be the perfect man. _She thought. "What are you doing here, Takahashi?" She growled out at the man.

The white haired man smirked at her and took the empty seat next to her. "Nothin', I just still can't believe you still insist on racing when you know you're gonna lose." He commented, smirk still firmly in place.

Kagome scowled at him nd clenched her fists angrily, trying to hold her temper. _If I'm angry it will ruin my concentration for the race. _She thought as she took a deep breath. Luckily, Sango took care of InuYasha for her.

"Lay off, InuYasha. Just because Kagome beat you in the last race you guys were in doesn't mean you have to go around acting like a spoiled puppy." She said as she smiled innocently.

InuYasha's smirk turned into a frown and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Feh, whatever, wench." He muttered and stood and walked across the room.

Kagome smiled at her friend in thanks. "Thanks Sango. I don't think I could have handled him and then go race." She said gratefully.

Sango waved her thanks off with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's no problem." She replied and smiled at her friend.

"All riders for the fifth race, please go to the saddling paddock. All riders for the fifth race, please go to the saddling paddock." A voice blared over the loud speakers.

Kagome' stomach lurched excitedly and she stood. "Well, guess I'd better go." She said.

Sango stood also and gave her friend a hug. "Go make those pompous jerks eat your dust." She said, making the younger woman laugh.

Kagome smiled at her friend once more and then turned and followed the other riders, including InuYasha, out of the jockeys lounge.

She reached the saddling paddock to find it full of sleek Thoroughbreds and jockeys in colorful racing silks.

She looked around and spotted Miroku leading a saddled, excited, and prancing Kat Wink.

She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the horses that surrounded her, and strode over to Miroku and Kat Wink, offering Miroku a nervous smile and giving Kat a soothing pat on her muscled neck.

Miroku returned the smile and bent over, offering her a leg up into the saddle.

Kagome took the offer and lightly bounced on her foot and then sprang into the small racing saddle. She bent over to adjust her stirrups and then straightened, taking the reins into her sweat hands.

"Any last minute advice?" She asked Miroku as she circled the nervous Thoroughbred.

Miroku shook his head. "Just the usual stuff. Try to get to the rail as soon as you can and be careful. Oh, and be sure to watch out for the number seven horse, Midnights Trouble. He's the favorite in this race." He advised.

Kagome nodded her head in acknowledgment."Who's riding him?" She asked.

Miroku looked down at a racing schedule that was in his hand. "InuYasha Takahashi." He replied, knowing very well that Kagome and the other jockey didn't get along at all.

Kagome's hands clenched around Kat's reins at the mention of the other jockey's name. _Great, that means I'm gonna be in the slot next to that arrogant jerk. Just great. _She thought with a scowl on her face.

Kat snorted and tossed her head at the tension she felt in the reins, jerking Kagome from her thoughts.

_I can't let him get to me now. _She thought and immediately loosened her grip on the reins and the Thoroughbred calmed slightly.

"All riders to the starting gate, all riders to the starting gate." A voice blared over the speakers once again.

Kagome felt a rush of excitement and nervousment rush through her as her stomach did a flip flop.

Miroku patted her knee reassuringly and smiled. "Good luck, Kagome." He said and stepped back, handing his Thoroughbred over to the lead pony.

Kagome took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, knowing that if she didn't her horse would sense her nervousment and get even more nervous itself.

The lead pony led the race horse out to the turf racing course, and as soon as the horses hooves touched the dirt turf, the grand stands filled with people erupted into loud cheers.

The sudden screaming startled Kat and she skittered nervously on her hind quarters, trying to rear up but the young man on the lead pony kept a firm hold on the lead rope that was attached to Kat Winks bridle.

Kagome leaned over and patted Kat's neck. "Easy girl, save it for the race," She said soothingly and Kat's ears flicked back to show that she was listening and she calmed slightly and she stopped skittering around, as well as trying to rear up.

They finally reached the starting gate and the lead ponys rider unsnapped the lead rope and Kagome waited for her turn to load into the starting gate.

It was a fairly large field of twelve horses and Kagome was in the number six slot.

She continued to circle Kat, to keep her muscles loose and ready for the race ahead of them.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity to Kagome, it was her and Kat's turn to be loaded into the number six slot.

Kat walked calmly into the gate, her ears turned back to catch Kagome's voice if she spoke.

Kagome leaned slightly over and took a handful of Kat's dark grey mane in her gloved sweaty hands, preparing herself for the fast rush that would come as soon as the gate in front of them opened.

She heard the horse in the slot next to her snort and paw at the ground. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw that it was InuYasha on Midnights Trouble. She quickly turned her eyes to the track ahead of her, ignoring the smirk that InuYasha gave her.

InuYasha also hunched over his horses neck. "Are you ready to lose, woman?" He asked tauntingly.

Kagome didn't respond and that just made InuYasha smirk again.

"The last horse is loaded, ladies and gentlemen," The announcer blared and the twelve riders readied themselves for when the gate doors would burst open and release the Thoroughbreds.

It was a tense moment, but then the bell sounded, the gates flew open and the announcer yelled, "And their off!" And there was a blur of color as the Thoroughbreds and jockeys rushed from the starting gate.

If Kagome hadn't been holding onto Kat's mane she would have been thrown off backwards.

For the first few seconds of the race she was stuck in the middle of the pack of horses, but then, slowly, the horses began to spread out across the track.

Kagome was in the middle, right behind the fourth horse.

Kat was pulling against the bit, asking for her head so she could run to the front, but Kagome kept a firm grip on the reins. "Not, yet, girl." She said to the eager race horse.

She couldn't hear anything except for the pounding of hooves hitting the turf race course, the snorts of the horses surrounding her and her own rapid heart beat. She could just barely make out the voice of the announcer over all the noise.

"And coming around the first turn its Storm Trooper in the lead with Fancy Lady and Dog Bite fighting for second." And the rest was drowned out as a streak of black blew past her.

She glanced over to see that it was the black Thoroughbred that InuYasha Takahashi was riding, Midnights Trouble.

InuYasha also glanced over in her direction and caught her eye. He smirked at her before his horse past hers to take the lead.

"And it's Midnights Trouble in the lead!" The announcer yelled excitedly, jumping to his feet as well as the people in the stands.

Kagome ground her teeth and gave Kat her head. "Go for it, Kat!" She encouraged her horse and kneaded her hands in Kat's neck, urging her to go faster.

Kat didn't need to be told twice and she surged forward, lengthening her strides, going past the fourth place horse.

"And here comes Kat Wink!" The announcer yelled and the crowd jumped to their feet once more, cheering for their favorite horses.

Midnights Trouble is still holding the lead and Dog Bite is in second and Fancy Lady is now holding a firm place in third, but here comes the filly, Kat Wink! This horse is zooming on up to fight with Midnights Trouble for the lead!" The announcer continued to yell, his voice rising in volume and excitement as the race continued.

Kagome ignored the rest of what the announcer said, concentrating solely on her task at hand: getting Kat Wink to pass Midnights Trouble and get her into the lead.

"C'mon, Kat!" She urged the dapple grey Thoroughbred mare.

Kagome felt Kat kick into another gear and her stride lengthened until they were racing neck and neck with InuYasha and Midnights Trouble.

"You can do it!" Kagome said excitedly when she saw the finish line just ahead of them.

She knew her horse was tiring by how sweaty her neck was, but Kat continued to stay neck and neck with the black Thoroughbred, Midnights Trouble.

Kagome could also hear InuYasha urging his horse to go faster, and when they both flew by the wire they were still neck and neck.

"And it's a photo finish!" The announcer yelled as the stands erupted into loud cheers.

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A/N: Well, there you have it, the first chapter of C.O.T.T. how'd ya like it? Please review and let me know! Thanks! And I'll have the next chapter out as soon as I **_do _**get some reviews. Ja ne, mina-san!


	2. The Accident

A/N: Well, here I am with the second installment of COTT. This chapter is dedicated to Silversnapdragon and Sango17. Thanks for being my first reviewers, guys! This chapters for you!

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_**-Chapter Two: The Accident-**_

"I can't _believe _I lost to that arrogant jerk!" Kagome berated herself as she ripped off her racing helmet while walking down the barn isle.

The officials of the race had announced InuYasha Takahashi and Midnights Trouble the winners by a nose, with Kagome Higurashi and Kat Wink second and the horse, Dog Bite, and his rider coming in third.

Kagome kicked the outside of an empty stall. Normally, she was okay coming in second, but when it came to losing to that arrogant, pompous jerk InuYasha, she _hated _it. She turned around, her back pressing against the stall, and slid down the stall door, crossing her arms and propping them up on her knees, brooding.

And she felt even worse when a certain silver haired person stopped right in front of her, she could almost feel the smirk that she knew was on his face.

"What do you want, Takahashi?" She growled out, not looking up at the man she knew was smirking down at her.

InuYasha squatted down in front of the young jockey and smirked right in her face."Just came to see how the woman was doing," He replied.

Kagome glared at him with her angry brown eyes. "This 'woman' had a name. Its Kagome. Ka-Go-Me. Either use it, or get out of my face." She said and quickly stood up, walking past InuYasha, completely ignoring him, and into the nearby stall where Kat Wink was to groom the Thoroughbred.

InuYasha stood and followed her. Kat, being the curious horse that she was, stuck her head over the stall portion and investigate the strange silver haired person leaning against her stall door.

InuYasha reached up and patted the Thoroughbred on its velvety nose. "Hey there horse," He said, watching Kagome out of the corner of his eye as she carefully groomed the horse. "To bad you didn't have me to jockey you during the race. You probably would have won if you did." He said, knowing that he was really rubbing Kagome's nerves the wrong way.

That comment snapped what little resolve Kagome had had not to say a word to the silver haired jockey. She stood up and threw the curry comb she had been using on Kat just moments ago to the straw bedded floor of the stall. She pushed the stall door open, pushing InuYasha along with it. She calmly closed the stall door, not wanting to startle the dapple grey Thoroughbred inside, and then turned flashing eyes to the amber eyed man that was smirking at her.

"You have no right to say that." She hissed at him through clenched teeth, her hands fisted at her sides.

InuYasha smirked in amusement. "Oh, I have every right. This is a free Country, ya know." He said, making the flame of Kagome's temper flare even more.

"You don't have to tell me that, you sexist pig!" She all but yelled at the dog eared man, quickly losing her temper with him.

InuYasha felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck begin to rise and the smirk vanished from his face. "I'm not a sexist pig," He growled at her, sounding very much like a dog.

Kagome scoffed at him. "Oh, so you just have something against women, particularly me! Since you don't seem to rag on Sango or any of the other women jockeys as much!" She did yell this time, throwing her hands up to empathize her point.

That snapped InuYasha. "Women don't belong in the racing world!" He yelled back, grinding his teeth I the process.

Kagome glared at him, refusing to back away, or lose, the argument at hand. "The only difference between you and a woman is the anatomy! A woman can do anything just as good as a man can!" She all but spat him, so angry now her hands were shaking.

InuYasha clenched his fists together, his knuckles cracking as he did. "No they can't. And me beating you in today's race proves it." He said, feeling some form of triumph as he said those words.

Kagome opened her mouth to yell at him again, but just then Miroku came around the corner. "Kagome, you need to get ready for the next race," He said and then stopped short when he saw the young black haired jockey and InuYasha. InuYasha grinding his teeth, and Kagome with his fists clenched in anger.

Kagome took a deep breath and stepped back from InuYasha. "I'll meet you at the stall, Miroku," She said in a clipped voice and walked away and towards the womens locker room.

Miroku and InuYasha watched her leave the barn, and then the young trainer turned his gaze onto InuYasha, who was now clenching _his _fists in anger. "InuYasha, I would appreciate it if you didn't upset my riders right before a race." He said calmly, so calmly you wondered just how angry he could get when he actually _did _lose his temper.

InuYasha crossed his arms over his muscled chest. "Feh, I don't care. For all I care that woman can just fall off a horse." He said and then stomped out of the barn in the opposite direction that Kagome had taken.

Miroku sighed and then turned to go into the stall that was next to Kat Wink's stall. This stall held his most promising Thoroughbred yet. He could only hope that Kagome could get calmed down in time for the race.

Miroku walked into the stall to see a pure white Thoroughbred filly dozing in the corner of the stall. "Come one, Jewel, time to wake up and get ready for the race." He said with a welcoming pat on the horses velvety nose.

The horse opened its large, liquid brown eyes and stared sleepily at the human man standing in front of her.

Miroku smiled and clipped a lead shank to Jewel's halter, leading her out of the stall.

Jewel's track name was Shikon no Tama, The Jewel Of Four Souls, but everyone knew the two year old Thoroughbred filly as Jewel. It was extremely rare for a pure white Thoroughbred to be born, and even rarer for a person to own one, and Miroku was one of the lucky few who did own one.

Jewel had been sired by his prized stallion, Wind Tunnel, and her dam was Passage Through Time and she was as fast as a shot gun. And, for some reason, she would only run her best when Kagome Higurashi was jockeying her.

Miroku led the white horse out of the stall and then walked her out through a crowd of people, who murmured in excitement at seeing the Thoroughbred, Shikon no Tama, whom they had been hearing about for quite dome time, and then entered the saddling paddock.

It wasn't long after that that Kagome arrived carrying the small racing saddle in her arms.

Miroku could tell that she was still really upset she had had with InuYasha Takahashi. "Kagome, try to calm yourself. You know how intune Jewel is with your emotions." He advised as he took the racing saddle out of the jockeys hands and placed it, along with the saddle pad, high on Jewel's withers.

Miroku bent over and caught the cinch and then buckled it, making sure it was nice and snug and not lose at all.

Kagome frowned at him. "You don't have to tell me how to treat Jewel, Miroku," She said irately and took the Thoroughbreds bridled head in her hands.

Kagome had been there the very day that Jewel had been born, she was the first person who ever rode the filly when Miroku started training her and she had a very close relationship with the white Thoroughbred.

The trainer straightened and sighed. "Look Kagome, I just don't want your common sense to be clouded by your anger. This is Jewel's first race and I don't have to tell you that it can be really dangerous." He cautioned her.

Kagome ignored Miroku's words and swung up into the saddle, not even bothering to wait for the trainer to give her a leg into the saddle. She knew that Miroku was just trying to help her, but at that moment she didn't want any help from any man. Even if said man was one of her closest friends.

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InuYasha pushed his way through the crowded stands to get to the rail. The ninth race was about to begin and that albino Thoroughbred of Miroku's, Shikon no Tama, would be runnig her maiden race in it.

He'd heard a lot about this filly. Her dam had been a derby winner when she was younger and the sire was a Triple Crown Winner, and everyone was eager to see what this white filly could do.

As InuYasha waited for the Thoroughbreds to make their way to the starting gate, his mind wandered back to the encounter he had had with Kagome not to long ago. He bristled as he remembered their heated argument. _She had no right to call me a sexist pig. _He thought angrily to himself.

He was jolt out of his thoughts by the announcers voice naming the Thoroughbreds and their jockeys as they paraded onto the field. He could instantly see which one was Shikon no Tama. The pure white filly stood out like a sore thumb among the other blacks, dapple greys, bays, and chestnut two year old Thoroughbreds.

_So, this is Miroku's prized two year old Thoroughbred, huh? _He thought to himself as he eyed the filly with a trained eye, watching her every movement. He had to admit, the young horse did look rather good. The filly had long legs, a finely shaped head, showing good breeding, a muscled neck and chest, pointed ears that were always on the alert, and there was excitement shining in the Thoroughbreds eyes. Not that nervous excitement that Thoroughbreds get right before a race, but the excitement of a challenge.

But something wasn't right with the Thoroughbreds jockey, Kagome Higurashi. Her jaw was clenched tight and her eyes were still flaming with anger. "She can't still be angry about earlier," He muttered aloud to himself, not caring if the people that surrounded him on all sides heard.

But apparently she was.

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Kagome took deep soothing breathes as she and Jewel reached the starting gates, trying to calm herself. _Get a hold of yourself, Kagome! Don't ruin Jewel's first race! _She kept repeating to herself.

They didn't have to wait long to be loaded into the gates. This time, they had the number one slot.

She crouched low over Jewel's white neck, gathering her silky white mane in her hands. She drowned out all sound around her, only concentrating on calming her raging temper. _It's gonna be okay, just count to ten. One. . . two. . . three. . . fou- _Before she could even count to five, the starting bell rang, the gates flew wide open, revealing the track, and Jewel sprang forward with a burst of speed, surprising Kagome and throwing her off balance.

Kagome was thrown roughly to the left, the only thing keeping her from falling from the Thoroughbreds back completely was the handful of white main that the jockey clutched tightly in her hand, holding on for dear life.

She desperately tried to right herself in the saddle, but it was a useless attempt. Jewel was spooked by suddenly seeing her jockey suddenly on her side and was also thrown off balance by the sudden weight that was pulling her to the left, so that's where she veered off to.

Jewel veered sharply to the left, ramming into the number four horse as she did. The jolt threw the agitated Thoroughbred off balance even more and she lost her footing on the dirt turf and her hooves went out from underneath her and she fell, her full weight landing on top of Kagome.

The young jockey cried out in shock and pain.

Jewel struggled to her feet, grunting with the effort, getting off Kagome, and took off running down the track, running to catch up with the rest of the Thoroughbreds that were continuing that race as if nothing had happened at all.

But when Jewel had gotten off of Kagome, that also left an opening for the other large Thoroughbreds to trample over the fallen jockey.

The young jockey had no time to roll out of the way, so Kagome did the only thing she could think of. She curled herself up into a ball, making herself as small as possible.

She cried out in pain as one Thoroughbred stepped on her thigh, and as a another kicked her in her lower back. She was in severe pain. _I don't know how much more of this I can take,_ She thought desperately just before a hoof came crashing down on her helmet protected head and all the world surrounding the young jockey dissolved in a swirl of pain and darkness.

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A/N: There's chapter two. And as well as another cliffie! Don't cha just love me? Lol. Anyways's I would like to get at least four reviews for this chapter, please. I really enjoy writing, I honestly do, but you all out there in fanfiction land have to let me know your enjoying my writings as well, okay? Well, until the next installment, Ja ne, Mina-san!

Rogue Hanyou


	3. Not A Good Wake Up Call

A/N: Back again, this time with the third instalment of C.O.T.T. thanks for reading my story so far! Ya'll are the reason I'm updating today, I was gonna wait till tomorrow. Onward!

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_**-Chapter Three: Not A Good Wake Up Call-**_

"Ooooh," Kagome groaned as a sharp pain radiated through her head and down through out the rest of her body.

Kagome's whole entire body felt like it was made out of lead it felt so heave.

She opened her eyes, winching and closing them again quickly as the bright lights of the room she was in almost blinded her, sending another jolt of pain through her already throbbing head, making it hurt worse than a migraine would.

"Kagome?" A concerned, familiar sounding voice came from her right side.

"Sango," The young jockey whispered through parched, dry lips as she attempted to turn her heads towards her friends voice. She forced her eyes open again, ignoring the bright lights as her head throbbed and her eyes ached in protest.

Once her eyes was fully opened and finally adjusted to the brightness of the room she not only saw Sango's concerned face, but Miroku's worried face as well.

Kagome licked her dry, cracked lips. "Where am I?" She questioned her concerned friends, her voice barely above a whisper, as she attempted to sit up. She quickly stopped the attempt as a wave of nausea swept through her.

Sango gently laid a hand on the younger girls shoulder, in a sisterly way. "It's alright, Kagome. You're in the hospital. There was an accident at the track. Do you remember?" She asked gently.

Kagome frowned, trying hard to remember what had happened to her. "I remember fighting with InuYasha outside of Kat's stall, and then you came and said that I needed to get ready for the race," she began, glancing at Miroku as she mentioned the trainer. "Then I remember going to the saddling paddock, getting into Jewel's saddle and then we were in the starting gate and then- oh Kami," she whispered as the memories of what had happened came rushing back to her in a flood.

Miroku walked over to the other side of the hospital bed, kneeling down so he was eye level with the injured girl. "You really gave us a scare, Kagome." He began. "You didn't have any internal injuries, but you still got banged up pretty bad."

"How bad?" The jockey asked, trying, and failing once again, to sit up.

"Your left leg was under Jewel when she fell and her full weight fell onto it. It's broken, but the doctors say it'll heal with out needing surgery. You've got a nasty bruise on your thigh and you have a small concussion. Your just lucky you had your helmet on other wise your head would have been crushed," Sango said, shuddering at the thought being any worse off than she already was.

Kagome took a deep breath, ignoring the nausea that was still with her from when she had awakened, and forcefully pushed her upper body into a sitting position, gasping at the pain in her left leg as it was jostled with the quick movement of her sitting up.

"Kagome!" Sango cried and rushed to her friends aid, pushing a small, red button on her bed to make the upper portion rise to support her back.

Kagome thankfully laid back on her pillows once it was raised, waiting for the pain in her leg to pass. "What about Jewel? Is she alright?" She asked through gritted teeth as she clenched the bed sheets in her fists.

Miroku smiled slightly. _Always thinking about the horses, aren't you, Kagome? _"She's fine. A little bruised and shaken up from the fall, but other than that she's fine." He replied.

A small smile came to Kagome's face as she heard the bit of small news from the trainer._ She's alright. _She thought in relief. Her leg gave a painful throb at that moment, as if reminding the young woman that it was still injured, and caused Kagome to gasp in pain and sit up, causing more pain to shot through it.

She grinded her teeth together, blocking the scream of pain that she so desperately wanted to release, tears of pain were running down her cheeks, dripping off her chin and landing without sound on the white hospital sheets that she was covered with.

Sango and Miroku acted immediately to their friends pain. Miroku ran out into the hall to find a doctor and Sango was instantly at her friends side, offering what little comfort she could.

Kagome's leg never stopped throbbing, it felt like her entire leg was on fire. _Please, just stop! _She thought desperately, in to much physical pain to actually speak the words.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Sango of waiting, Miroku reappeared in the room with a doctor on his heels, carrying a syringe with him.

Sango moved aside, giving the doctor room to help her injured friend. _You could have been here sooner, _She wanted to snap at the doctor for being so slow in getting to Kagome's room, but she stopped herself.

The doctor leaned over the hospital bed, pushing Kagome's hands gently away from her broken leg. "Just calm down and take deep breaths, Miss Higurashi," He said in a deep, soothing voice.

Kagome forced herself to lean back against the pillows, taking deep breaths as the doctor had told her to. She felt the doctor take her arm gently in his hand and the prick of a needle pierce her skin.

The medicine in the syringe started working almost immediately. She slowly un-clenched her fists and stopped grinding her teeth, letting out a shaky sigh as the pain in her leg finally receded.

Kagome leaned back, letting her head rest against the starch white hospital bed as the side effects began to come. She became immensely tired and her eye lids felt like the had bricks on them, weighing them down. She tried to force her eyes open, trying to stay awake, she still had questions she needed to ask, like when she could get out of the hospital bed and back to the thing she loved most in the world: riding. But that was a battle she was slowly losing as her eyes drifted lower and lower.

"When can I ride again?" She whispered tiredly, her eyes slowly drifting shut. _I'm so tired._

Sango walked over to her friends side and brushed a few strand of Kagome's long black hair from her face. "Don't worry about that now, you rest and we'll talk more later," She said and stepped away.

Kagome weakly nodded her head and the peacefulness that could only come with sleep over take her every sense.

Sango and Miroku followed the doctor out of the room, so that Kagome could have some peace and quiet while she slept.

The doctor turned to the two of the once he had walked them to the waiting room. "Does Miss Higurashi have any family that should be called?" He questioned them.

Miroku shrugged his shoulders and looked at Sango. Kagome was a very privet person and didn't talk much about her past or if she had a family.

Sango shook her head."she has no family that would come. We're the only family she has here." She said, indicating herself and Miroku with a nod of her head towards the trainer.

Miroku took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "Give it to us straight, doc. When _will _Kagome be able to ride again? That's the one thing she loves most in the world so the sooner she can get on the back of a horse the better she'll feel."

The doctor let out a sigh and shook his head. "Have a seat," He said and nodded at a group of chairs in the middle of the waiting room.

Miroku and Sango didn't liike the way the doctor said that, but they followed him and each took a seat in the chairs, wanting to hear what he had to say.

The doctor waited until they were all seated in the chairs before he spoke. "She may never be able to ride again," He said bluntly, getting straight to the point and not beating around the bushes. He believed and giving the truth straight up, not trying to ease into it like some of the other doctors in the hospital.

Miroku's eyes widened in surprise at hearing this bit of news and Sango nearly fell out of her seat in shock. "What do you mean she might not be able to ride again? I thought you said her leg was gonna heal without any complections." She accused, her voice a tad bit shaky.

As long as she had known Kagome, she had always been a rider, that's where she was happiest, on the back of a horse. She couldn't imagine her dear friend not being able to ride.

The doctor brought his hand up and began rubbing his left temple, clearly a sign that he had a headache. "Ms. Higurashi's leg will heal properly, but it might not be able to take the strain of racing, and riding, again. If she did ride once her leg was healed it could fracture or even break again that she might have to have surgery to repair the damage that would be done."

Sango brought her hand up to her mouth. _Oh, poor Kagome, she'll be heart broken, _She thought as her eyes filled with tears for her friend who had become something like a younger sister to her.

Miroku was the first to recover from the shocking news. "When can we take her home?" He questioned, trying not to think about how Kagome would react when she heard the news.

The doctor glanced down at the chart in his hands. "She'll be released in a couple of daysmaybe even tomorrow if no other complications come up," His beeper went off and he reached to his side to get it. "If you'll excuse me, I'm being paged for surgery." And with that, he left the two to observe the news.

"Kagome's gonna be heart broken when she hears this," Miroku said, voicing Sango's exact thoughts from just a few moments earlier.

Sango just nodded her head, silently staring at the floor, trying to think of some way to help her friend.

A shadow fell over the two and they glanced up, not expecting to see who they saw standing in the doorway of the waiting room.

"InuYasha? What are you doing here?" Miroku asked blankly as he stared at the silver haired jockey.

InuYasha frowned and crossed his arms. "Feh, I came to see if your jockey was okay," he replied, trying to hide the concern in his voice and succeeding very well. In fact, he did it so well that his voice actually sounded cold and heartless.

He got a totally different reaction from Sango, though.

Sanog shot to her feet, angry fire flashing in her eyes. "_You_," She snarled and slapped him hard across the cheek, the sound of the slap resounding in the empty waiting room.

Miroku quickly jumped to his feet and grabbed the angry woman by her arms, keeping her from doing anymore damage to the other jockey.

"How can you even show your face here!" Sango snarled, her voice a dangerous whisper and dripping venom.

Miroku had told Sango why Kagome had been so angry before her race, and who had caused her the anger.

InuYasha had a look of pure surprise on his face at being slapped by the woman, but quickly recovered. "Hey, I came to see how _your _friend was doing. Is that a crime?" He asked, sounding quite annoyed.

"You're the reason Kagome's in that hospital bed to begin with!" She spat out between clenched teeth.

InuYasha stiffened at that comment, his back going ridged and his face going blank of all emotions. "Is she okay, or isn't she?" He asked simply.

Miroku pushed Sango into a chair behind him.

Sango sat and kept quiet, but continued to glare death at the silver haired man.

Miroku turned back to face InuYasha. "She has a broken leg. But she'll be okay. They might even release her tomorrow.

InuYasha nodded his head and turned to leave. Just as he reached the door Sango spoke up once more. "She'll never be able to ride again because of you."

InuYasha stopped and glanced back, an unknown emotion flitting through his amber eyes,a dn then he turned and disappeared down the halls of the hospital.

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Oh the drama! Haha. Poor Kagome, she'll never be able to ride again, or will she? review and I'll post the next chapter do you can find out.


	4. Home Again

A/N: Hey, hey, hey mina-san! I'm back with the _fourth _chapter for C.O.T.T.! Wow, I can't _believe _I'm already posting the fourth chapter of this fic! It's going by fast! Oh yea, and I'm gonna be mentioning my reviewers at the end of this chapter. So, read on! Oh yea! And I finally got a myspace! If you wanna check it out here's the link to my page. http/ . Okay, _now _on with the story, lol.

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_**-Chapter Four: Home Again-**_

Kagome was sitting up in the hospital bed, poking at a tray of hospital food that was sitting in front of her. She was poking at something that was supposedly mashed potatoes when Sango walked into the hospital room. She made a face when she saw the food tray. "I don't see how people can eat that stuff," she commented, making another face.

Kagome grimaced and pushed the tray away. "That," She said and pointed at the tray. "is probably why half the people are in the hospital in the first place."

Sango laughed and sat her purse down in a nearby chair. _At least she's got her sense of humor back._

Sango and Miroku had told Kagome the news that she might not be able to ride again and, as they had guessed, she had been heart broken. She hadn't shared her feelings with her friends though, she had just asked them to let her be alone for awhile, and Sango and Miroku had left, promising to come again when it was morning.

Sango could still tell that her friend was upset about the news, but she didn't bring it up. Kagome wasn't the kind of person who liked to share her feelings and she only talked about them when she was good and ready.

Sango walked over and sat in another chair, this one closer to her friends bedside. "So, what time are they gonna let you out of this joint?"

Kagome smiled a little. Sango had been referring to this place as 'the joint' ever since Kagome had been here, three days ago. "In about an hour. Did you bring my clothes?"

Sango pulled a bag off the floor and held it up for her friend to view. "Like I'd actually let you out in public in that," she said and pointed at the shapeless, blue hospital gown that Kagome was wearing. "It'd be the biggest fashion mistake of the year!" She exclaimed.

Although Sango didn't like getting dressed up a lot, most her wardrobe, like Kagome's, consisted of jeans, jean shorts, tee-shirts, and the occasional jean skirt, she was still a shopaholic. It was like she had a sixth sense about where the sales were in clothing stores.

She pulled Kagome's favorite tee-shirt out of the bag. It was solid black with big yellow cats eyes on the front. She laid the tee-shirt on the hospital bed and then pulled out a pair of Kagome's many jeans out of the bag.

Kagome frowned when she saw the jeans, however. "I'm never gonna get my jeans over this thing," She groaned and itched at the cast that encased her leg.

Sango grinned. "I've already thought of that," She said and pulled a pair of scissors out of the bag. "These'll do the trick," She said and snipped the scissors in the air with a grin.

Sango picked up Kagome's jeans and began to cut up the left leg of it, making a large slit big enough for the cast to fit through. "There, all finished," She said and threw the scissors she had just used on Kagome's jeans back into the bag.

Kagome took the slitted jeans and gently slipped them over the itchy cast and then she took off the hospital gown and out on her shirt, sighing out in relief to be out of the gown and back in her familiar clothes.

"Could you hand me those, Sango?" She asked and pointed to a pair of crutches in the far corner of the hospital room once she was fully dressed.

Sango stood and retrieved the crutches for her close friend. "Do you know how to use these things?" She asked as she walked back towards her friend.

Kagome shook her head. "No, but I'm getting out of this room using those things," She said determinedly and took the crutches, placing the tops underneath her arms and grabbing a hold of the two handles, she pushed herself of off the hospital bed, keeping her cast slightly lifted off of the floor.

"There, nothing to it," She said and took a step forward, tripping slightly, causing her to put her injured leg down, and also causing a sharp pain to shoot from her knee through out her entire leg.

"Kagome!" Sango cried and rushed to her friends side, letting Kagome support herself by leaning on her shoulder.

A slight sheen of sweat had broken out across Kagome's forehead and she was panting slightly from the effort and the pain. "I guess it ain't as easy as it seems to look in the movies," She tried to joke, her facial features beginning to relax as the pain slowly began to recede.

Sango eased Kagome back onto the hospital bed just as a nurse walked in. "Ms. Higurashi, you know the hospital policy!" She scolded, already guessing the situation that had just happened from te still pained expression on the young womans face.

Kagome scowled. "I am _not _riding in that thing just to get to the front of the hospital and into a car," She said and pointed to the wheel chair that the nurse had wheeled into the room with her.

The nurse, a young woman of about twenty-eight, was very pretty. She had long blond hair that was in a bun at the nape of her neck with friendly blue eyes. She put her hands on her hips. _If she isn't complaining about the then she's being stubborn, _she thought with a sigh. She had been a regular nurse to the young jockey since the day she was brought into the hospitaland they had become quiet good friends.

"Kagome, look, just do it to humor my supervisor, okay? He's doing an inspection today, and if the nurses don't pass then he's gonna put us on probation and possibly dock our pay," She said with another sigh.

Kagome also let out a sigh. "Alright, Gina. But don't think I'm gonna be happy about it," She grumbled and let the nurse help her from the bed and into the wheel chair.

"There, now, this isn't so bad now, is it?" Gina, the nurse, questioned with a smile as she wheeled Kagome out of the room and down the hall.

Kagome had her arms crossed over her chest, glaring down at her encased leg. "Its bad enough," she grumbled lowly. Gina just hid a smile and rolled her eyes.

As Kagome was wheeled out the front of the hospital doors, she saw Miroku standing there with th passenger door opened on his red four by four Ford truck.

Gina wheeled the chair over to the truck and Miroku helped Kagome out of the room and into the passenger seat of his truck, Sango hovering worriedly close by, holding her friends crutches.

Once Kagome was in Miroku's truck, Gina patted her hand and gave her an encouraging smile. "You'll be just fine, Kagome, no worries." And with that, the nurse turned and went back into the hospital through the doors.

Sango stored Kagome's crutches in the back of the truck and quickly walked around to the other side, sliding across the drivers seat and sitting next to Kagome.

"Okay, we all set?" Miroku questioned and got into the drivers seat, turning his truck on as he did so and then shutting his door and hooking his seat belt.

Sango nodded her head. "Just get me out of this place," Kagome muttered, still glaring down at her encased leg.

Miroku slowly pulled out of the hospitals parking lot. "Gomen," He apologized, seeing Kagome wince and clutch her broken leg as he drove over a speed bump, jostling it.

"Couldn't be helped," she said through clenched teeth.

Miroku's stables were about a mile away from the hospital, so they didn't have a long ride to go.

Sango was filling Kagome in on all the stuff that had been going on while she had been in the hospital. "I've been exercise riding the horses while you were in the hospital," in an under tone, so that Miroku wouldn't hear, she said, "and you were right, Miroku _does _have some really nice Thoroughbreds to ride." She admitted.

Kagome gave a half hearted smile, then let her eyes wander to the country side rushing past her window. She didn't want to admit it, not even to herself, but she was extremely worried about not being able to ride again. _I might never be able to ride again. _The words seemed to resound in her head over and over, causing her to fight back a wave of tears that threatened to spill from her brown eyes.

Soon, the rolling countryside gave way to acres of white fenced pastures with sleek Thoroughbreds grazing in the afternoon sunshine.

After about another five minutes of driving, Miroku turned into a gravel driveway with a sing about it in bold black letters reading, **_Sengoku Jidai Stables_**, and she truly smiled, for the first time since her accident. _I'm home,_ she thought happily.

Miroku pulled his truck to a stop in front of his large two story brick house, making a cloud of dust rise around the truck. Off to the right were his stables. One held his stallions, the others held his broodmares, foals, and yearlings, and the last held his stock of racing Thoroughbreds in training.

Miroku opened his door and Sango scooted out and then rushed to Kagome's door, opening it and handing the young woman her crutches.

Kagome took the crutches, carefully getting out of the truck and trying not to jostle her leg to badly, making sure her injured leg didn't touch the ground.

"Welcome home, Kagome," The trainer said and began walking towards his house, carrying Kagome's bag.

Instead of following him, the injured woman and began making her way towards the training barn.

"Where are you going?" Sango asked, sounding slightly alarmed as she rushed to catch up with her dear friend, which wasn't at all hard, considering that her friend still hadn't gotten the hang of her crutches as of yet.

"I'm going to the barn, where does it look like I'm going, the moon?" She huffed out, negotiating herself around a medium sized rock that she normally would have just kicked out of the way. _Baka crutches,_ she thought bitterly.

Sango frowned and laid a gentle hand on her friends shoulder, stopping her from continuing. "Oh no you're not!" She said, playing the protective older sister. "You just got out of the hospital, you don't need to see the horses right away,"

Miroku had followed after the two young women. "I must agree with Sango, Kagome. Come into the house and rest for a bit, then you can come back out and visit with the Thoroughbreds later," he tried to persuade the stubborn young woman.

The young jockey turned a deadly glare on the two. "I'm not a little child! I am perfectly capable of making decisions for myself!" And with that, she turned and began making her way towards the training barn once again, her back ridged and her jaw set determinedly, daring her two friends to try and stop her again.

Neither did, but they both did follow her, Sango looking worried, and Miroku with an understanding expression on his face. "Doesn't she know that we're just worried about her?" Sango questioned as she watched the younger woman carefully, making sure she wouldn't stumble.

"I believe she does know that, but she doesn't want us to coddle her," He replied, also keeping a close eyes on Kagome.

Kagome finally made it to the coolness of the barn and she breathed deeply, letting the aromas of the Thoroughbreds, leather and hay surround her. _Oh, how I've missed this smell, _She thought with a contented sigh and then began making her way down the wide barn aisle once again.

She exactly which stall she was heading to, it was the one at the very end of the barn aisle, the one on the right side. She pushed herself to go as fast as her crutches, and her injured leg, would allow.

"Jewel?" She called out when she reached her destination, anxious to see the white Thoroughbred filly.

At hearing her human friends voice, the big white Thoroughbred mare thrust her finely shaped head over the stall portion and gave a whinny of pure delight at seeing the young woman.

Kagome hurriedly leaned her crutches against the aisle wall, balancing on her one good leg, and wrapping her arms around the Thoroughbreds strong, muscled neck, and Jewel bobbed her head once, as if returning the hug to the young, injured woman.

At seeing her beloved horse once again, all of her fears came back to her in a rush, almost over whelming her. _I'll never be able to race again. I'll never be able to ride a horse. I can never ride Jewel again._

Tears pushed through Kagome's closed eyes, trekking down her cheeks and falling off of her chin straw strewn floor.

"I'm ready to go in, now," Kagome whispered, her voice weak, and tired sounding and full of defeat.

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There ya have it. Please don't hate me for it! In the next chapter, there'll be a little excitement, so review lots so I can post it and you can find out. See that little button in the left had corner? Its your friend! Lol, thanks for reading this far! Ja ne, Rogue Hanyou


	5. Fear

A/N: One review? Oh well, this entire chapter to for Crazy-Inuyasha-Sesshomaru-Girl. Thanks for reviewing! Oh yea, and we've jumped ahead a little in this story. Kagome is has gotten her cast off. Read on.

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_**-Chapter Five: Fear-**_

"Well, Kagome, it seems that your leg has healed nicely," Gina, the nurse that had helped care for Kagome, said with a smile.

Kagome returned the smile. "I'm just glad to get that baka cast off!" She exclaimed, pointing to the now removed cast and then glanced down at her leg and made a face. "Ugh, I so need to shave my legs, now," she commented, making the nurse chuckle.

It had been four months since Kagome's accident on Jewel, but it felt much long than that to Kagome.

Gina rose to her feet just as Dr. Maku, the doctor that had treated Kagome's injury, entered into the room, holding her clipboard in one hand and making a note on the papers with the other. "Hello, Kagome," he said with a smile as he handed the clip board to Gina.

Kagome returned the smile, feeling in an extremely good mood. "Hi, Doc,"

Dr. Maku chuckled and sat down on his rolling chair next to Kagome's leg. He gently picked it up and began doing some movements with. "Any stiffness in this leg?" He questioned after he was done examining it.

Kagome stood up and took a few step before she answered the doctor. "It's a little stiff," she admitted.

Dr. Maku nodded. "That's to be expected. But asides from that, everything looks good to me," he said and took the chart back from Gina and scribbled some more notes in it.

Kagome took a step closer to the doctor, wringing her hands. "Um, Dr. Maku," he looked up at Kagome, noticing that she fidgeting nervously with her hands. "Um, I was wondering when I would be able to begin riding again?" She asked, hope filling her brown eyes as she asked the question.

Dr. Maku shook his head and sighed sadly. "Kagome, I don't think you'll ever be able to race again. Your leg just wouldn't be able to handle the strain of horse racing. I'm sorry," he added after seeing the stricken look on his patients face.

Kagome looked up at the ceiling, blinking away the tears that had filled her eyes when Dr. Maku told her what she had been denying for months now. She looked back at Dr. Maku and said in a watery, but controlled voice, "Thanks for being honest, Dr. Maku. I have to go, now," and with that, the young woman walked out of the examining room, not even bothering to take the paper that probably held the prescription for her pain killer pills.

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Once Kagome had gotten back to Sengoku Jidai Stables, she quickly jumped out of her blue/green 1994 Saturn SL, walking with a purpose towards the training barn, her jaw set with determination.

She quickly made her way down the barn aisle, making her way towards Jewel's stall. _He's wrong. I _will _be able to race again. I'll get to race Jewel in her next race, _She repeated over and over to herself in her head.

When she got to the Thoroughbreds stall, she found, not the big white filly, but Sango with her chocolate brown hair in a messy pony-tail, mucking out the stall.

Sango reached a hand up and swiped it across her forehead, sweeping away the beads of sweat that had gathered there. "Hey, Kagome," she greeted her friend as she put another shovel full of the soiled bedding into the wheel barrow.

Kagome took a deep breath before she answered the older woman, not wanting her to know that she was upset. "Hey, Sango. Where's Jewel?" She asked her friend, trying to sound casual.

Sango dumped some more of the soiled bedding into the wheel barrow before she answered. "Miroku put her out in the pasture with some of his three year olds. Hey, how'd your doctor visit go?" But Kagome didn't answer the last question because she had already left the barn after hearing that the white Thoroughbred was out in the pasture.

On her way out, she stopped by the tack room, quickly gathering Jewel's saddle pad, saddle and her bridle. _I will ride again. _She repeated to herself once more.

She made her way out to the paddock, ignoring the dull ache that had started in her injured leg. When she reached the fence line she sat the saddle pad and the saddle onto the top rail, brought her fingers to her lips and gave a sharp whistle.

Jewel was easy to spot in the herd of twenty or so other Thoroughbreds. She was the only pure white one among blacks, greys, bays, chestnuts and duns.

The white Thoroughbreds head snapped up, liquid brown eyes looking in the whistles direction. When Jewel spotted her human friend, she gave a whinny and cantered over to the fence, rubbing her head on Kagome's shoulder in a friendly greeting.

"I'll show that baka doctor, he was wrong," Kagome muttered as she slipped the bridle over the large Thoroughbreds head.

Jewel eagerly accepted the metal bit, she hadn't been ridden since the accident on the track and she was eager to get back to her training.

Kagome stepped in between the railing, grabbing the saddle pad and throwing it over Jewel's back and then slinging the saddle into place. She reached under Jewel's belly, fastening the girth snugly so the saddle wouldn't slide when she was in it.

Jewel's caught on to Kagome's upset mood and began to get jittery, tossing her head and prancing in place.

Kagome looped the reins over Jewel's head and attempted to lift her left foot into the stirrup, but she quickly stooped down, clutching her bad leg and keeping a moan of pain from escaping her mouth.

She bit her lip, thinking, and then her eyes landed on the fence that surrounded the pasture. "That'll do the trick," she said, leading Jewel over to the fence railing and stepping onto the lowest board.

She placed one hand on the saddle, with her other hand she gathered a handful of Jewel's silky white mane. "Here I go," she murmured, taking a deep breath and hoisting herself onto the fillies back, catching the dangling stirrups with the toes of her feet. "So far, so good," Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, her leg was aching a little, but she figured she could handle it.

She leaned over her right side, shortening the stirrups a couple of notches then she leaned over to do the same to the left stirrup, so that she would be sitting in a racing crouch on the Thoroughbreds withers.

Her left leg started to throb painfully now, but she ignored it, determined to ride and race again. Without thinking, she automatically nudged Jewel into a canter, and that's when everything started to go wrong for the young jockey.

Being full of energy from not being ridden in so long, and also sense how Kagome was upset, instead of breaking into a smooth collected canter like she would normally have done. Jewel bolted into a flat out run.

Kagome tried to stay in the jockey's crouch, but her leg was on fire! She couldn't stand it. She cried out in pain every time Jewel's hooves thudded against the ground, causing the sharp pain in her leg to get sharper and sharper with each and every step the large Thoroughbred took.

The young jockey could no longer hang on and Kagome was thrown off of Jewel's back.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Miroku was sitting in the shade outside of the barn cleaning tack when Sango walked out, pushing a wheel barrow full of soiled bedding and he grinned at her. "Ah, my lovely Sango, might I assist you in disposing of that?" He asked and began walking towards the young jockey, grin still in place.

Sango turned a deadly glare towards the trainer. "Take one step closer towards me and I will be forced to hurt you so badly that your ancestors going back five hundred years will feel it," she threatened, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Miroku gave a nervous laugh, holding his hands up in defense, and began walking backwards, sitting back down on the bench where he had been cleaning a saddle moments ago. "I must get back to cleaning this tack, . Lovely talking to you, Miss Sango," he said and quickly started scrubbing the saddle again, feigning innocense.

Sango rolled her eyes and started pushing the wheel barrow around the side of the barn, where they disposed of the soiled bedding, once more. "Baka hentai," she muttered, along with a string of other choice names to called the 'baka hentai'. "If he'd just quite being such a baka hentai then I would go out with hi- no, I just didn't say that!" She cried, slapping her hand to her forehead.

She stopped muttering when she noticed someone out in the pasture ride Jewel. _Who is that? All the exercise riders are already gone, and as far as I know no one is supposed to be riding Jewel._

Her eyes widened when she finally registered who the mysterious rider was. "Oh Kami!" She whispered, letting go of the wheel barrow. Before she could call out to her friend, Jewel suddenly lurched into a gallop, racing around the fenced in paddock, throwing Kagome out of the saddle in the process.

Sango let out a cry and began running towards the still form of her dearest friend, Miroku running around the side of the barn at hearing Sango cry out.

Miroku froze when he saw Kagome laying on her back in the green, grassy paddock. "Crap," he muttered and ran after Sango, vaulting over the top of the white fence and landing with a muffled thud on the grassy ground. Sango close behind him.

They both reached the fallen Kagome at the same time, Sango kneeling on one side of her friend, Miroku on the other.

Kagome's eyes were opened wide with fear and she was gasping for air.

"Kagome, are you alright?" Sango asked worriedly at seeing her friend in such condition.

Kagome gasped once more and felt air enter into her lungs. "I'm fine," she replied to her friends, even though tears of pain and failure entered her brown eyes, making them shine. Her leg hurt almost as much as when she had first broken it.

Miroku helped her to her feet, keeping a hold of her shoulders until she got her balance back. "What were you thinking! You just got the cast off your leg, your not fit to start riding yet!" Sango yelled at the younger woman, her fear for her friend, making her cringe slightly. She didn't mean for her words to be as harsh as they were, but her fear at seeing Kagome thrown from Jewel's back made it so.

The tears spilled from Kagome's eyes, trekking down her pale cheeks and falling off of her chin. "I know that!" She yelled back, her eyes flashing, looking over at Jewel who was walking back towards the group of people, her head hanging low, ashamed that she had thrown her human friend.

Kagome felt a pang of fear enter her heart. "I know that, now," she repeated, much softer this time, almost a whisper, hanging her head low, her bangs covering her eyes. "I'll never ride again," and with that she walked slowly out of the fenced in pasture, limping painfully as her leg throbbed.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Hmm, not one of my better chapters, but the next one well be better. Please review and I'll get the next chapter up A.S.A.P. Ja ne, mina-san, Rogue Hanyou


	6. InuYasha

A/N: I know, I know, I haven't updated and ya'll probably wanna kill me, huh:::gets evil glares: Um, well, would it help to say that I've been extremely busy practicing for my drivers test::more glares: No, guess not. Before you kill me, read this chapter and see if it makes up for the long absence, mmk?

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

_**-Chapter Six: InuYasha-**_

Sango sighed and shook her head, tossing her braided chocolate colored hair over her shoulder. It had been a solid week since Kagome had fallen off of Jewel and she hadn't been the same since that day. She hadn't gone to visit the white Thoroughbred fully at all, and she hadn't even set foot in the barn area at all, either. In fact, about the only thing she _did _do was stay in the small cottage behind Miroku's larger brick one.

"Okay, Jewel, let's try to be friends here," She said to the large white filly as she led her out of the coolness of the barn and out into the early sunlight.

Jewel was a very well mannered Thoroughbred, but it seemed that she wouldn't let a single exercise rider, jockey or anyone else one her back. She had thrown all of Miroku's other exercise riders and even Miroku himself, Sango was the only one left that had yet tried to ride her.

"You need to let someone ride you, you need the exercise to be ready for your next race," She continued, speaking to the she finished as she bent over to make sure the saddle girth wasn't loose.

Jewel leaned her head over and rubbed it on Sango's shoulder, a sign that she trusted the young woman and Sango smiled. _Maybe this'll work out after all. _She thought hopefully.

Miroku was waiting for her at the training oval with a stop watch dangling around his neck. "She hasn't had a real work on the oval since Kagome got hurt. If she'll let you ride her, take her around the track a couple of times at a canter and then gallop her," he instructed the young jockey.

Sango nodded her head in understanding and she reached up to snap her helmet in place and then took the leg up that Miroku offered, watching him closely to make sure that he didn't try anything lecherous. But she could see that the Thoroughbred trainer/owner was completely focused on the task at hand: getting Jewel prepared to race again.

_So far, so good, _Sango thought as she sprang into the small saddle and Jewel didn't even flinch to indicate that she knew that there was a rider on her back. She gently nudged the white Thoroughbred with her heels and Jewel broke into a smooth walk. "I think this might actually work," she called over to Miroku, grinning as Jewel walked onto the training oval with out so much as a flick of her silken white tail.

Sango gently nudged Jewel's side again, asking for the large Thoroughbred filly to move it up into a canter. The next thing Sango knew she was lying on her back in the dirt of the turf and she saw Jewel galloping down the training oval, kicking her heels up in the air as she went.

Miroku quickly ran onto the track, kneeling by Sango once he had reached her. "Are you alright?" He asked the young jockey, concerned.

Sango nodded her head slightly. "She just winded me, a little," she replied, letting Miroku help her to her feet. "What happened?" She asked as she dusted the dirt off of her pants and testing her limbs, making sure there were no other injuries that she didn't know about.

The young train shook his head and ran a hand through his dark hair. "She was going fine and I was beginning to think that she might actually get a decent work out in today and the next thing I know she bucks and you go and do a somersault through the air and then your lying on your back in the dirt." He told her, shaking her head at the Thoroughbred as she pranced over to the pair, lifting her legs high and nudging Sango in the backas if nothing had happened at all.

The young jockey also shook her head and grabbed Jewel's dangling reins. "I give up, the horse will only let Kagome ride her," she stated gloomily.

The trainer nodded his head in agreement. "Jewel is just a one person horse. And the one person she will let ride her won't even come out to the barn, anymore."

"I don't see how your gonna get her ready her race next week if she won't let anyone ride her. You might just have to scratch her from it," Sango commented, leading the filly off of the training oval.

Miroku had a thoughtful look on his face. "Maybe there is one person," he replied vaguely, and walked past Sango and towards the barn office, intent on using the phone that was sitting on the desk.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

InuYasha was out on the track, exercising a black Thoroughbred by the name of Shooting For Trouble.

The colt was poorly trained and kept trying to unseat his rider by crow hopping and bucking all across the track, doing everything in his power to unseat the rider that was all but glued to his saddle.

"You might as well give up, Trouble," InuYasha muttered as the enraged Thoroughbred reared into the air, striking at the air with flailing forelegs. "I ain't never fell off a horse before. You're fighting a losing battle," He smirked when the colt came out of his rear, shaking his head with an annoyed snort, finally settling down enough to finish the work out.

"Feh, told ya," InuYasha spoke in the Thoroughbreds ear as he worked the colt at a gallop around the track.

Once InuYasha was done riding the high strung horse, he rode Shooting For Trouble off of the track, handing the energetic colt over to his amazed trainer. "I don't believe it," the trainer spoke, mouth slightly agape in shock. "Trouble has thrown every rider that's ever sat in his saddle," he couldn't believe his eyes! Maybe Trouble wasn't a lost cause, after all like his owner thought. He just needed the right rider.

InuYasha just 'feh'd' and turned his back, walking towards the grand stands to wait for his next mount he was supposed to exercise ride that morning.

Being a jockey was an uncertain job. The only way you got paid was if you got a good racing Thoroughbred and it won, only then did you get part of the winnings purse. InuYasha loved the excitement, the dangers of being a jockey to a high strung Thoroughbred.

While he was waiting for his next mount, he went to the nearby concession stand, buying a cup of black coffee. "Keep the change," he said off handedly as he paid for the coffee and headed back towards the track.

He lifted the steaming Styrofoam towards his face, the aroma of the black brew drifting up to his nose. But before he could even taste the strong brew, even before he could get it to his lips, he felt his cell phone in his back pocket begin vibrating.

InuYasha always kept his cell phone on vibrate when ever he was around the expensive Thoroughbreds that he rode. After all, he didn't want to be responsible for one of the very excitable creatures spooking at the ringing of his cell phone and injuring itself, and then having its owner holding _him _responsible for the veterinary care it would need, and possible even cost him his job.

The silver haired jockey was tempted to just ignore the vibrating cell phone and finish drinking his coffee, but after his cell phone continued to vibrate, he swore under his breath and whipped it out of his back pocket, flipping it open and answering it with a growl of, "This'd better be good," he snarled out.

There was a chuckle on the other line before a familiar voice answered. "Still not a morning person before you've had your first cup of coffee, eh, InuYasha? Do you still drink it black?" A certain hentai horse trainer asked with another chuckle.

InuYasha raised a silver eyebrow. "Miroku?" He questioned the man. The dark haired horse trainer was the last person InuYasha would have expected to be hearing from. What with him 'being responsible for making it so that Kagome would never be able to ride again' thing, as Sango so plainly put it every time she saw the jockey.

"What do you want, Miroku?" InuYasha asked, quickly recovering from his shockas he waited to hear what the trainer wanted to say to him.

All traces of humor left trainers voice as he explained what he had called the jockey for. "I need your help getting a Thoroughbred ready for a race," he stated simply, getting straight to the point.

InuYasha raised his eyebrow yet again. "Why not have Sango ride it? She's a jockey, ain't she?" _why would Miroku want me to ride for him? He's got enough jockey's at his stables as it is._

"The Thoroughbred won't let anyone ride her, and seeing as how you've never found a horse you couldn't ride I was hoping-" InuYasha cut him off with a smirk.

"You figured you'd ask me to save your sorry ass and get the horse in condition," he more than stated than asked the trainer.

"Well, I wouldn't say sorry as-" InuYasha cut him off once again.

"Yea, whatever," he said and added his trademark 'feh' for good measure.

"So, will you ride the horse for me, then?" Miroku asked the jockey once again.

InuYasha spotted the next Thoroughbred he was scheduled to exercise that morning, so he had to end the conversation quickly. "Feh, I'll stop by your stables around two o' clock," he said and turned his phone off by flipping it closed and returning it to his back pocket of his jeans.

He brought his coffee up to his lips and took a quick swig of the brew before he had to ride the other Thoroughbred. He made a face , spit out the coffee and scowled. "Baka Miroku, he just _had _to call and make my coffee cold," he growled again, throwing his now cold coffee into a near by trash can.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Little to Miroku's and Sango's knowledge, Kagome had a perfect view of the training oval and all that was going on from her bedroom window. She saw everything. The ten riders that Jewel had refused to let on her back, how she let Sango on her back and then let the young jockey flying through the air and how the two had talked, though she couldn't hear what was being said, she had a feeling that it was about the white Thoroughbred filly's next race.

_If only I could ride again, _She thought sadly as tears filled her eyes once again, but she wouldn't let them fall from her eyes, she refused to let them fall. She hated crying. To her, crying was a form of weakness, and she felt weak enough as it was and she didn't need to show it by letting the tears fall.

She let the curtain fall back to its place on her window, turning away from said windowand walking over to her bed and sitting down on the soft mattress.

She picked up a picture that was on her night stand and felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. It was a picture of her and Sango.

Kagome was sitting on a large chestnut Thoroughbred gelding and Sango was on a small Appaloosa mare. The picture had been taken right before Kagome had gotten her jockey's licenses, right before she had lost her bug.

She and Sango were winking at the camera and giving the V sign for victory.

_That was a long time ago, _Kagome thought sadly and reached over to her night stand once again, this time opening the drawer. She placed the picture into the open drawer, face down. "Never again," she whispered, allowing one solitary tear to trail down her pail cheek.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Miroku walked out of the broodmare barn when he heard the crunch of car tires on the gravel lane.

He saw InuYasha Takahashi getting out of a dark green pick-up truck.

Miroku walked up to greet the visiting jockey. But, as was InuYasha' style, he didn't give the trainer a chance to talk, let alone greet him. "Where's your 'hard to ride' Thoroughbred?" He asked shortly.

Miroku shook his head, an amused smile on his face. "Right this way," he said, motioning for InuYasha to follow him.

InuYasha crossed his arms and followed the dark haired trainer. The two walked to the very end of the training barn and stopped in front of the last stall on the right side of the wide barn aisle.

A large, finely shaped head thrust her head over the stall door, greeting the visitors with a friendly whicker.

InuYasha raised an eyebrow, "You mean your prized two year old is the one that no one can ride?" He asked skeptically.

Miroku nodded his head. "Yes, she's thrown every one of me riders at least twice, including Sango and myself. And Sango's the best rider I have since Kagome won't ride anymore."

InuYasha hid the flinch at the mention of the womans name. _So, she can't ride anymore, _he thought guiltily and then pushed the thought quickly aside. After all, it wasn't his fault that the baka female couldn't push her anger aside and concentrate on the race that she had been in the day of her accident.

Jewel leaned over the stall, nudging InuYasha and then sniffing at the pockets of his jeans, looking for hidden carrots that might be there. She shook her head and gave a disappointed snort when she didn't find any.

InuYasha turned slightly and looked at Miroku. "This ain't no Thoroughbred, this is more of a per riding pony!" He declared.

The trainer unlatched the stall door. "Saddle her up and you'll see what I mean," he said, motioning for InuYasha to lead the two year old Thoroughbred filly out of the stall.

InuYasha 'feh'd' and grabbed a lead shank that was hanging by the stall onto the filly's halter. He quickly saddled and bridled the filly and walked her out of the training barn and into the late afternoon sunshine.

Jewel tossed her head and pranced excitedly. It wasn't often that she was ridden this late in the day, she was used to being worked early in the mornings, when the sun wasn't so high in the sky or as hot. She swung her head to the left and then to the right, looking for something, or someone, and when she didn't see who she was looking for, she stopped prancing and her head drooped slightly.

InuYasha paid no heed to this as he swung himself into the saddle, quickly gathering the reins into his hands and nudging the filly with his heels.

Jewel swung her head around to look at the stranger that was sitting on her back. The rider nudged her again and Jewel snorted. She'd show him.

The large white Thoroughbred filly leaped into the air, bucking as hard as she could and almost, but not nearly, unseating the strange male rider on her back.

The jockey hadn't been expecting the sudden leap the filly had made when he had tried to nudge her into a walk and was caught off guard when she had leapt into the air, making him lose his right stirrup. "Oh, no you don't," he muttered, leaning forward when the Thoroughbred reared onto her rear legs, forcing her to go back onto the ground.

Jewel snorted, then turned into a sharp circle to her right, but the silver haired jockey stuck with her the whole way.

She continued bucking, rearing, and doing every kind of stunt that she could think of to get the man off of her back and onto the ground. But everything she attempted failed.

The filly suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, her feet wide apart and her head held high, eyeing the fence that was about twenty feet away. "Don't even try it, horse," InuYasha panted out, pulling on the reins, trying to get the Thoroughbreds attention.

But Jewel ignored him and broke from a standing point into a full fledged gallop, running straight for the fence.

The distance between the horse and the fence quickly diminished as she rushed towards the white fence, everything else around her going by in a blur. Right before they would have crashed into the white fence, the Thoroughbred rose into the air, jumping clear over the fence and landing squarely on the other side.

And InuYasha stuck with her the whole way. Mentally cursing when the Thoroughbred decided to jump the fence, he rose with the jump, hoping that the Thoroughbred wouldn't injur her legs when she landed.

After the jump, Jewel seemed to realize that she wouldn't be losing this rider, but it was still an effort, for the both horse and rider.

Both rider and horse were drenched in sweat and panting heavily after the whole episode.

InuYasha straightened in the saddle and nudged the Thoroughbred with his heels, asking for a slow, and easy walk.

This time, Jewel stepped off into a walk, this time, without trying to lose the rider on her back. Jewel didn't know what it was, but something about this new rider reminded her about Kagome.

After riding the Thoroughbred for a few moments, InuYasha stopped her and jumped off her back, waiting for Miroku, who was running after them after their wild jump, to catch up.

Miroku didn't say anything at first, just dropped to his knees by the filly's front legs, running his hands up and down them, checking for injury.

The trainer sighed with relief, standing from the ground and patting Jewel's white sweaty neck. "Her legs seem to be alright." He then turned to InuYasha and held out his hand.

InuYasha took Miroku's outstretched hand, silently agreeing to ride the white filly. It had been quite a while since he had found a horse that had almost, _almost_, unseated him.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Well? Did that make up for the wait? If not, you now have my permission to kill me with your weapon of choice. Just please be kind enough to review and tell me how you did it, lol. Ja ne, mina-san, Rogue Hanyou.


	7. The Barn

A/N: Okay, mina-san, I just want to apalogize if this chapter is short. It seems short to me, but I dunno. Oh, and just to let you know, I've been playing around with another fanfiction idea. Do you remember the Animorphs show and the books? Well, I've been playing with the idea of making a fanfiction about it using the plot, only replacing the characters with the InuYasha group. What do you think? I'll leave a small preview of it at the end of this chapter, thanks!

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

_**-Chapter Seven: The Barn-**_

Kagome rolled over in her bed, kicking the covers off of herself as she did so. She had seen InuYasha's ride on Jewel, and it hurt seeing another jockey on the Thoroughbreds back knowing that she would never be able to do the same again.

She threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, sighing as she did. _Ain't any use in trying to fall asleep, anyways. _She thought as she glanced at the clock on her night table. The red numbers on the clock read 4:00 A.M. she had gotten so used to getting up at five o' clock every morning to take care of the Thoroughbreds that it was second nature to her now to get up so early.

She glanced out of her bedroom window, towards the training barn. "Maybe a walk will help me feel better," she said aloud to herself as she quickly pulled on a pair of blue jeans that were ripped at both knees and a white tank top, winching a little as her leg ached slightly.

It was always stiff and it hardly ever stopped aching. She reached over to her night stand once again and picked up a small bottle of prescription pain killer pills that the doctor had given her. She hated taking them, but she quickly opened the bottle and got out two of the small pills. She picked up the glass of water that was sitting on the table from the night before and quickly swallowed the pills.

Once she had taken the pain killers, she walked down the stairs, shivering as her bare feet slapped on the cold, hard wood flooring. She slipped on her paddock boots that were sitting by her front door and then walked out of her small cottage.

She walked slowly over the stable grounds, her feet subconsciously taking her to the training barn and down the wide aisles and to the very last stall on the right.

The sound of Thoroughbreds waking up greeted her ears as she strode down the aisle, but she didn't slow her steps none. She reached the last stall to find Jewel's finely shaped head hanging over the top portion of the stall, looking at her, like she had been waiting for her.

Kagome smiled in spite of herself. "Hi, girl," she whispered as she silently let herself into the stall.

Jewel whickered affectionately and put her large white head on the young womans shoulder, giving her the horse version of a hug.

Kagome wrapped her arms around the filly's neck, inhaling her scent. "I've missed you," she whispered hoarsely as she felt her eyes burn with tears that she refused to let fall.

"Then why don't you come out to the barn and visit her more?" A voice asked from outside of the stall.

Kagome whirled around to find herself staring into amber colored eyes and she quickly wiped at her own eyes, even though no tears had fallen. "You know the reason," she said to the man, not looking him in the eyes.

Usually she would have snapped at the man for sneaking up on her and startling her, but when she found out that she couldn't ride, she also seemed to have lost something else.

InuYasha noticed this also, so, he tried to pick a fight with her. "That ain't stopping you from being around the horses, though. Or are you just a quitter?" He remarked, smirking. He knew that calling her a quitter would get her fired up. But he was wrong.

The young woman just hung her head and walked out of Jewel's stall, closing it behind her and quietly making her way back out of the training barn.

And, for some reason, InuYasha followed her. "Just because you can't ride, doesn't mean you still can't work with the horses," he called after her harshly, grabbing her shoulder and whirling her around to face him.

When she was facing him again, he was shocked to see that she was fighting back tears. "I can't do that!" She shot at him, trying not to shout so that she wouldn't spook the high strung Thoroughbreds in the training barn.

"And why not?" The silver haired jockey growled out. He didn't even know why he was bothering talking to this woman. If she didn't want to be around horses, then that was her choice, it was no concern of his. So, why was he bothering with it, then?

A tear slipped out of Kagome's eye and she wiped it away angrily with the back of her hand. "You wouldn't understand," she replied, turning and once again walking out of the barn.

This time, she made it out of the training barn before InuYasha stopped her, this time he stepped in front of her, blocking her path so she had no choice but to stop. "Try me," he growled out.

A familiar flash lit up Kagome's eyes, a sign that her old fire was still in her. "Riding was my life!" She cried out, a few more tears slipping out of her eyes, making InuYasha cringe, but she didn't even notice it. "Riding was my life,"she repeated, this time more quietly. "If I can't ride then I'm useless, there's nothing else for me in this world," she whispered this last part so quietly that InuYasha almost didn't hear her.

The tears that she had been fighting to hold back so hard moments before fell from her eyes and made twin treks down her pale cheeks, landing in the dirt as they fell off of her chin.

She let out a painful gasp and pushed past InuYasha, and this time he didn't try to stop her, he just watched her way to her cottage in silence.

"She's been like that ever since Jewel threw her last month," Miroku spoke from behind InuYasha, having just walked out of the training barns office.

InuYasha crossed his arms over his chest. "Feh, baka woman shouldn't stop living just because she can't ride," he huffed and walked back into the barn, heading towards the tack room to get Jewel's tack and get the white Thoroughbred ready for her morning work out.

Miroku followed close behind the jockey. "That's just the way Kagome is. Like she said, riding was her life,"

InuYasha frowned. "And like I told her, there's other things she could do with horses besides ride them," he replied, repeating what he had said to Kagome.

Miroku shook his head and turned to walk away, but stopped when he heard InuYasha say, "I think she probably could ride again,"

miroku turned back around to face the jockey. "What do you mean? You know what happened last time she tried to ride, Sango told you," he said confusedly.

InuYasha never stopped tacking up Jewel as he spoke. "When the horse threw her it was the first day she got the cast off, right?" Miroku nodded conformation. "Feh, baka woman shoulda known that she wouldn't be able to ride a head strong Thoroughbred on her first day," he muttered, not really speaking to Miroku.

Miroku scratched his head, confused. "What do you mean?"

InuYasha turned to face the dark haired trainer. "Feh, she's got full mobility back in her leg, all she's gotta do is build the strength back up in it again. And, eventually, she could be able to ride again, maybe even race," he said and lead Jewel out of the barn and toward the training track.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

That afternoon, while Miroku was having lunch in his house with Sango, he was still thinking about what InuYasha had said that morning. _'All she's gotta do is just build the strength back up in it, again. And, eventually, she could be able to ride again, maybe even race,'_

Miroku was jolted out of his thoughts when he felt a french fry hit him on his nose. "Hey, what's on your mind?" Sango asked as she picked up another french fry off of her plate, this time instead of throwing it at the trainer, she simply ate it. "Must be pretty distracting. You haven't tried anything perverted since lunch started," she commented, eating another fry after dunking it into her ketchup.

Miroku grinned at her. "My dear Sango, are you suggesting that you miss my wandering hands? I can gladly fix it if you do mis-" But he was cut off as another french fry hit him in his face. "Baka hentai," Sango muttered as Miroku only grinned again.

The trainer smirked another minute more and then he turned serious. "I was thinking about Kagome's predicament," he remarked.

Sango stopped scowling at the dark haired trainer when she heard this. "We've gotta do something for her, she needs to get her life back on track before she get's sick," he continued on when he saw that he had Sango's attention.

"But what can we do? She won't listening to anything we have to say," Sango replied with a shake of her head.

Miroku got a thoughtful look on his face. "I may know someone who will be able to help her," he replied vaguely.

Sango's head snapped up at this bit of information. "Who?" She questioned, her head tilted slightly to the side in curiosity.

"Do you remember that one stallion I used to have? The one that Kagome couldn't even handle at first?" He replied with a question of his own.

"I think I remember Kagome mentioning it, it was a solid black colt named High Flyer, right?"

Miroku nodded his head in conformation. "After he finally settled down to race, I retired him early because he had bowed a tendon," he started out. "Even though he had settled down enough to be handled, we still couldn't trust him to be in a field by himself or even in the barn with the other stallions. So, I shipped him to this small farm way out in the country to stand stud there."

Sango's eyes lit up as she remembered Kagome telling her about it. "I remember, now. The only people that live on that farm is an elderly woman and her grandson, right?"

The dark haired trainer nodded his head again. "Yes, Kaede Mitsumaru and Shippo Kitsune, her grandson. She has a way of dealing with troubled horses, no matter what their problems are,"

Sango shook her head and held up a hand, "Wait a minute, we don't have a troubled horse, here. The one that is having the trouble is Kagome. How can this Kaede help Kagome if she specializes in horses with problems?"

Miroku grinned once more. "Along with knowing how to deal with troubled horses, she also has a way with people." He replied.

Sango was now thoroughly confused. "What are you planning, Miroku?" The young jockey asked the trainer.

Miroku leaned on the table, both elbows planted firmly on top of it. "I think that we should send Jewel, along with Kagome, to Kaede's farm." He stated plainly.

Sango looked unsure. "I dunno, Miroku. Sending Kagome up to a place where she doesn't know anybody, and with Jewel? She won't be able to handle Jewel by herself, not now. And you or I can't go with her, either. You've got horses to train and I'm already named to ride in races for the whole next month,"

"There is one person who can go with her," Miroku replied.

Sango looked slightly shocked. "No, you can't be serious!" She exclaimed, slapping the top of the table with her hand.

Miroku nodded his head. "Yes, I am. InuYasha can go with her,"

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Well, there ya have it. A small bit of drama in this chapter. What cha think? please review! Oh, and here's that small sneak preview of the next fic I'm wanting to do, let me know what you think of it:

_You become a prisoner inside your own head. You can see and hear what is going on around you, but that is all. No one knows that their not actually talking to you. You can scream, cry, and beg, but the only one that will hear you is the Yeerk that now share's your brain._

_The Yeerks have to leave their hosts body every three days to go back into the Yeerk Pool to feed on these special Kandrona from the Youkai home planet. If they don't feed, then the Yeerk dies from starvation._

_Its scary, down in the Yeerk pool. When they drag the hosts back down to the Yeerk Pool, their screams as their few hours of freedom is about to be taken away again. But the screaming isn't what scares you the most. What scares you the most is when the screaming stop suddenly and the hosts body that was once struggling to get free suddenly goes relaxed and stops screaming, almost as if nothing at all has happened, indicating that they have, once again, become Controllers._

_I know how scary it is, trust me. I've been down in the Yeerk Pool before in morph. But I'm jumping too far ahead of myself again. Let me start from the beginning, back to before we were all friends, to before we got our powers, back to before we were known as The Animorphs._

So, what do ya think? Please let me know! Ja ne, Rogue Hanyou


	8. Country Trip

A/N: Gomen, mina-san! I am soo sorry for the long delay! It's just been really crazy lately and I haven't even had time to really check my e-mails! Oh, and singerme5791, that thing at the bottom of my last chapter was kinda of a preview of the next fanfiction that I am thinking about doing. Anyways, I hope that this chapter makes up for the long wait! Read on!

Disclaimer: I forgot to do this on the earlier chapters, so I'm gonna do it here. I do not own InuYasha nor do I own the other characters, but I do own the idea for this story. Okay, read on!

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_**-Chapter Eight: Country Trip-**_

"You want to what!" InuYasha asked the dark haired trainer, his mouth slightly agape.

Miroku had just walked up to InuYasha, who had been cleaning a saddle, and had simply stated, "InuYasha, you are going to a friend of mine farm with Kagome and Jewel,"

Miroku nodded his head. "This will be good for Kagome. The friend of mine will be able to help her get her confidence back around the horses and possibly get her back in the saddle." He stated and turned around and walked out of the tack room.

InuYasha let out a very dog like growl and stood and followed the young trainer/Thoroughbred owner. "There is _no _way I'm going anywhere with that wench, Miroku!" He declared and stood in front of the dark haired trainer, his arms crossed stubbornly across his chest.

Miroku sighed and his next words were spoken slowly, almost like he was talking to a small child who was throwing a temper tantrum. "InuYasha, you are the one that told me that you think that Kagome can ride again. Kaede is the only person I can think of who can help her get her confidence back."

InuYasha clenched his teeth. "You can send her by herself!" He growled out.

Miroku shook his head. "No, you and I both know that Kagome, not in the state she's in right now, can't handle Jewel alone, someone has to go with her and help her," He explained.

The silver haired jockey saw his logic, but he wasn't going to agree to this without a fight. "Why can't you or Sango go along with her?" He questioned.

"I have racers to train here, and Sango cannot go either because she has already been named to ride in several races for other trainers and she can't possibly back out now and leave them riderless," He explained, side stepping the slightly angry jockey and continuing to walk towards the barn office and sort through his files.

A sudden thought struck InuYasha and he followed after the trainer. _I might get out of this, yet, _He thought to himself as a small smirk took over his lips. "You know Kagome's not gonna want to go with anywhere with me,"

Miroku glanced over his shoulder, with a smirk of his own on his face, "On the contrary, InuYasha. I think she might actually enjoy getting a couple days off from the barn,"

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Sango and Kagome were sitting on the front porch of Kagome's small cottage, enjoying a glass of icy lemonade. _How am I gonna tell Kagome that she has to go somewhere with the arrogant jerk that injured her?_ Sango thought to herself.

Although she didn't show it most times, she was still a little bitter towards InuYasha for what he had done to her friend. _Miroku had better know what he's doing, _She thought and clenched her hand tightly around her glass.

Kagome glanced over at her silent friend and noticed that Sango's hand was clenching the glass rather tightly. "Sango, you okay?" She asked uncertainly.

Sango blinked and relaxed her grip and turned to Kagome with an overly bright smile. "Oh, I'm fine, Kagome. Just thinking." Which wasn't a lie, 'cause she _was _thinking.

"How's Jewel's training going?" Kagome questioned after a moments of silence from her friend.

_Now's my chance. _"Actually, Kagome, Miroku is sending her to Kaede's farm out in the country," she told the younger jockey.

"What? Is Miroku retiring her?" She asked, shocked that Miroku would send Jewel in the prime of her racing career to the elder womans farm, where he sent some of his Thoroughbreds to be retired.

Sango shook her head and turned to look her friend in the face. "No, he isn't retiring her. But Jewel is having some training trouble, so he's sending her there so that Kaede can work with her. And he wants you to go with her when she ships out,"

Kagome choked on her lemonade that she had just swallowed and Sango reached over and patted her friend on the back as she coughed and choked. "He wants me to _what_!"She exclaimed in disbelief once she had finally stopped coughing.

Sango nodded her head to confirm what she had told Kagome. "He wants you to go with Jewel when he ships her to Kaede's farm," She repeated.

Kagome shook her head vigorously. "Sango, I am not going. I can't handle Jewel!" She exclaimed and pushed herself up from her seat and walking over to the railing of the porch, crossing her arms over her chest. "You saw what happened last time I tried," she whispered while she let her eyes wander over the rolling green hills of the farm, occasionally stopping on a mare and foal that were grazing.

Sango sat her drink down and walked over and stood by the younger woman. "You wouldn't be going alone," She explained, laying a gently hand on Kagome's shoulder.

Kagome turned uncertain eyes on her friend. "Sango, I'm scared to be around horses, now. I can't, I just can't go," she turned her eyes away before her close friend could see the tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes.

"You wouldn't be going alone, Kagome. Someone will be there to help you handle Jewel. Miroku wants you to go 'cause Jewel knows and trusts you the most, and she'll need someone she knows in the strange stall and barn she'll be staying in." She said gently, trying to sooth her upset friend.

Kagome let out an uncertain sigh. _Maybe getting away from here for awhile will help me, _She reasoned as she let out another sigh and turned towards Sango once again. "Someone'll help me with Jewel at all times?" She asked her, her eyes still full of uncertainty.

Sango nodded and gave Kagome a warm smile. "At all times, you just have to be there to make sure that she stays calm," She reassured.

Kagome gave one last sigh before she nodded. "Alright, I'll go, when is Miroku shipping Jewel out?"

Sango gave a relieved smile. First thing tomorrow morning," She replied, trying not to laugh as Kagome's eyes widened.

"First thing tomorrow morning!" She repeated in shock.

Sango nodded and started to walk off of the porch. "Uh huh, Miroku wants to beat the traffic, so he's shipping Jewel off in the morning," She replied and walked off the porch and started walking towards the training barn.

Kagome groaned and slumped against the railing on her porch. _What have I gotten myself into? _She wondered to herself. And then, another thought entered her mind and she straightened. "Hey Sango, who's going with me and Jewel to Kaede's?" She called after the dark haired woman, but she was either too far away to hear the question, or she just pretended not to hear her.

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"Did you tell Kagome?" Miroku asked as soon as Sango entered the coolness of the training barn.

Sango nodded her head and sighed. "It wasn't easy, either. What about you? Did InuYasha agree to go?" She asked her own question.

Miroku nodded and grinned. "Actually, he was probably easier to convince than Kagome was," He said with a small chuckle.

Sango scowled at the man and walked down the barn aisle, picking up a halter and lead rope that was hanging on the barn row wall. "I'm gonna turn some of the horses out in the pasture," She muttered and walked down the aisle, stopping at the first stall.

Inside the stall was a chestnut yearling called My Lady Priestess, her sire was Wind Tunnel and her dam was a new mare that Miroku had bought last year at an auction called My Fair Lady. So, she was a half sister to Jewel and Miroku had great hopes for her.

Sango unlatched the stall door and quickly slipped the halter over the filly's head and when she turned around she was surprised to see Miroku was holding the stall door open for her.

"Did you tell Kagome who would be going with her to Kaede's farm?" He asked once she and Lady were out of the stall and walking out of the barn.

Sango shook her head and gave a gentle tug on the lead rope, pulling Lady's attention away from a very interesting yellow flower. The young race horse shook her head and snorted, but followed the young woman. "I had a hard enough of a time convincing her to go at all. She would've flat out refused if she knew that that arrogant, pompous jerk was going, too," She replied, her face darkening as she mentioned the other male jockey.

Miroku sighed and shook his head. "Sango, when are you going to forgive InuYasha?" He asked curiously.

"Miroku, have you forgotten that he is the one who caused Kagome's fall on Jewel?" She questioned the trainer, a scowl marring her face.

He shook his head yet again and sighed. "Sango, he may not show it, but he is sorry for what happened at the track, if he wasn't then do you think that he'd be here helping us with Jewel. And do you think if he wasn't sorry that he would have agreed to go with Kagome to Kaede's?"

Sango held the scowl on her face for another few seconds before she let it slid off of her face with a sigh from her mouth while her shoulders slumped slightly. "I know, you're right. It's just that Kagome hasn't been the same ever since her fall on Jewel and I guess he's been the one I've been pointing my anger at because of it," she admitted and then instantly blushed.

She hadn't meant to actually admit that aloud, but when she glanced at Miroku she could tell that he understood what she meant and he didn't hold it against her.

"I know, Sango. But we'll get the old Kagome back," He reassured the young jockey.

Sango and Miroku stopped walking once they had reached the pasture and Miroku opened the gate while Sango snapped off the lead rope and gave Lady a light slap on her rear to get her going into the grassy field. "But when? When will the old Kagome be back? I miss my best friend, Miroku," She admitted as she felt tears in the corner of her eyes, but she fought them off.

"When Miroku saw that Sango's bright brown eyes were even brighter with unshed tears, he captiously put a hand on her shoulder, and when she didn't object to that, he slowly slipped the rest of his arm over her shoulders. "She has to have time to heal, Sango. Both physically and emotionally. And this trip with Jewel is just what she needs to get her going in the right direction." He explained comfortingly.

Sango nodded and gently rested her head on the dark haired trainers strong shoulder, inhaling the scent of his cologne without even really realizing it.

The two of them stood like that for several minutes, completely oblivious to the world the surrounded them.

But when Sango realized whose shoulder it was that she was resting her head on she quickly jerked away, almost like she had been bitten and took a few steps back, her cheeks flaming red. "Um, I-I better go get the rest of the yearlings," She stuttered and hurriedly walked back towards the training barn, avoiding eye contact with the man.

Miroku watched her walk off, a slight smile on his lips before he slowly turned and walked towards the stallion barn.

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Okay, is it good? Do ya'll forgive me know? Hope so! I'll try to update again in the next upcoming three days, but what with Easter coming up, it might be a little late, but not as late as this one was, though! Thanks for reading and please review! Ja ne, mina-san! Rogue Hanyou


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